Patagonia Parrilladas

Went there back in May. Nice décor for a SW Detroit place. Most of us had the the Sandwich Patagonia which was fantastic and came on a 6″ diameter bun loaded with a harmonious collection of meats and vegetables.
The other namesake dish, the parrillada, is a heaping mound of «flat steaks,» skirt steaks, Italian sausages, blood sausages, and chicken breasts for ~$ 40. The parrillada piqued our interest, but since this was lunch and we needed to work we passed.
Great place. Don’t get too caught up on ideal American service and you’ll be fine.

This is a must try restaurant! The food is a nice blend between traditional Argentinean and Chilean. The parillada for 2 is enough to feed 3 – 4 people, so you get a nice meal for dirt cheap.

We enjoyed our food and the friendly atmosphere of Parrilladas Patagonia. We were searching for authentic Chilean cuisine in the Detroit area and found what we were looking for. Our group of four ordered 4 empanadas for starters, the Parrilladas for the main course and 2 Patagonia Pancakes for dessert.

The empanadas were great! Tasted like they were straight from a restaurant in buenos aires. Really friendly owners!

I have a general policy of not giving newer restaurants 1-​star ratings because I really want them to succeed. But after giving it some thought, I can’t in good conscience let anyone else waste their money there without knowing what they are getting themselves into.
So when Patagonia Parrilladas opened I thought nothing could be better than having an Argentinian steakhouse in Detroit. Definitely not the location I would have picked — right across the street form Clark Park, but ok. No parking, except right out front on Vernor. Umm… alright, no problem.
I think they opened in January and we showed up in May so they had several months to get things together, or so we thought. When we walked in around 8pm on a Friday night the place was empty which should have been a sign. There are two levels to the restaurant, the lower level looks like it would be more for the «grab a sandwich at lunch» crowd, but the upper level looked pretty nice so we sat up there.
The waitress was very inexperienced but I wasn’t going to let that affect my opinion when clearly I had a wonderful meal to look forward to. The kids wanted soda, so they got warm cans of soda. No refrigeration? That’s…not good. No explanation either, just «sorry, that’s all we have».
OK. So off to the bathroom. It’s there, but no hot water. I thought maybe it just needed to run for awhile, nope. Did they maybe switch the hot and cold handles? Nope. OK, guess I’ll wash my hands in cold water, maybe that’s part of the experience. Nothing to dry my hands off with, that’s ok — still part of the experience I’m sure.
Then the food comes. Ugh. I wanted to like this place SO BAD, but everything about it sucked. 6 months in and their website is still a default Wordpress install with no menu so I’m getting the feeling this place won’t be around for long.

among the best sandwiches in Southwest, creative steak /​seafood dinners, South American style
Another spin of the wheel for this location. Unlike its predecessors, Patagonia Parrilladas departs from the usual tex-​mex fare and turns toward Argentinean-​inspired cuisine. Avocado plates, several steak and chicken entrees, seafood (whole fish or pastas). I’ll need more than a few visits to work through all that’s new, creative, and delicious.
Though the bife de chorizo on the menu had me salivating (which is a grilled cut of beef, and this has nothing to do with Mexican chorizo, I learned… google it), I ended up trying one of the house specials, the Sandwich Patagonia. This was a heavenly and colossal invention, a thin-​cut steak topped with ham, bacon, melted cheese, hard-​boiled eggs, tomatoes, pickles, and mayo. Served open faced on fresh and warm buns (probably from Mexicantown bakery, though I didn’t check) with decorative garnish and a heap of thick-​cut fries — comforting and filling. Highly recommend — and one of the best sandwiches I’ve had along Vernor in a long while.
Don’t come looking for tacos or tortillas. There aren’t any. Steak is the centerpiece of at least half the menu (with fish and chicken taking up the rest. For vegetarians, there’s an array of salads you can choose from, in addition to the avocado plates). The prices are tilted notably upward of what’s typical for the area, though judging by my sandwich, the portions are kingly, and each table is decked out with lit candles and fresh carnations… giving the place a warm evening mood and ambience that might be better suited for your next Mexicantown date if you’re getting tired of the rice and bean routine down the road. Like all previous start-​ups at this location, one of the biggest setbacks is just plain and simple foot traffic. The place would be lively and romantic if it could pack it’s split-​level dining area, but this spot always seems stuck in a vortex of one or two customers at a time (I’ve often wondered how much the street-​parking-​only has played a role in that. Or the ever-​too-​humble-​signage/​marquee/​awning, which can be hard to notice on a fly-​by). It will take some ingenuity for Patagonia Parrilladas to change this location’s track-​record — but with their inventive and strikingly different menu creations, I think there’s a hopeful chance.